Okay so according to Arthur C Clarke 2010 is the year we make contact! Personally we at G4A will just be looking forward to making contact with normality again after the festive period.

The team are also looking forward to what could be the best line-up of releases in gaming history!

Yes, the first year of the new decade promises to deliver a veritable cornucopia of gaming delights and in this feature we will be listing the ones we are simply foaming at the thumbs to get our mitts on.

Halo: Reach- Xbox 360

After the end of the Halo trilogy Bungie claimed there would be no more Halo games that they would be producing. Since then there has been, Halo Wars and the rather disappointing ODST and next year we are all hoping for a true return to form for the series when Bungie and Microsoft release Halo: Reach. The new game sees the welcome return of the Spartans in what is a prequel to the original Halo. We are daring to hope for good things from this title Autumn 2010 we will find out!

Bioshock 2 – 360/ps3/PC

Another sequel here this time to 2008’s monster hit Bioshock. The underwater utopia of Rapture will this time be fully populated with crazy characters and mad scientists. Set 10 years after the original, children have been disappearing from homes along the Atlantic coastline and taken by some monster to Rapture you playing as the first ever “Big Daddy” are trying to find out why and what. We are slightly apprehensive about the storyline and whether Bioshock 2 could live up to its predecessor. The addition of a multiplayer element set up as a prequel to the original, makes us uneasy but anyone who follows this blog will know that already. Still we hope for another mind-blowing experience when Rapture reopens its doors.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 – Wii

In an unusual move by Nintendo ‘Mario Galaxy’ gets a direct sequel. We are not complaining though as we cannot wait to see what Miyamato comes up with in this follow-up to G4A’s game of the year 2008! Expect a whole heap of fabulous and innovative gameplay ideas that, if its predecessor is anything to go by, that will consistently surprise throughout.

Heavy Rain – PS3

Whilst not a direct sequel, this is a game G4A have been gagging for ever since we completed Fahrenheit. With its unique cinematic gameplay and stunning visuals we are hoping for big things from Quantic Dreams this time around. We have no doubt they will deliver.

Mass Effect 2- 360

This is the sequel I have been waiting for, Mass Effect is one of my favourite games of all time and I was hoping to have my greedy mitts on this for the festive period. Alas it has fallen back to early 2010, (29th Jan to be precise!) I don’t mind though as I would rather a game took ages to arrive and deliver, than come out on time and be, well, shit! Expect more shooting and in-depth story-lines and most likely some sex with aliens! Bring it on!

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction- PS3/360/PC

Sam Fisher’s latest outing has been in development for what seems like ages, mainly because Ubisoft realised that it was a direct rip-off of their other massive title Assassins Creed II.

Since the complete reworking, taking Splinter Cell back to the drawing board, the game is now back and looking brilliant. Featuring a storming one player game and the return of the awesome co-op storyline that this time acts as a prequel to the game’s storyline, this is one we can’t wait to get our hands on.

Alan Wake – Remedy – 360

Having been in hiding for some time many had begun to worry that this would go the way of Duke Nukem Forever and get lost in development hell. But this year finally saw it spectacularly break cover again at E3, not only that we actually have a confirmed release period of May (I’ll believe it when I see it though). The showing at E3 was enough to convince me though that this is looking very sweet indeed. With what looks to be a huge game world and a genuinely David Lynch type odd (think Twin Peaks and you would not be far wrong) scary story this is on my must have list for 2010.

Bayonetta – Sega – PS3/360

With the recent release of the demo versions of Sega’s latest hack and slash anticipation for Bayonetta has increase ten fold. The sheer size and scope of the battles are nothing short of breathtaking and some of the bosses are enormous! A mixture of gun & swordplay mixed with magic in a similar vein to Devil May Cry series although easily outperforming Capcom’s games. Bayonetta is a pleasant surprise and definitely one worth parting with a few of those Christmas quids for; you can get your hands on it January 8th!

Final Fantasy XIII- 360/PS3

Out and reviewing well in Japan (Famitsu gave 39/40) us here in the UK will not be seeing the first proper outing for Final Fantasy on the current home consoles until March. A must buy for any Jap RPG gaming fans this is looking as if it will be the definitive Jap RPG for the current home consoles. Developed by the masters of the genre Squaresoft it is set between the the floating world of Cocoon and the ground land of Pulse the story is your usual humanity must be saved gibberish fantasy fiction stuff. Graphically as usual for the series the game looks amazing and the newly refined battle system looks to be moving the series forward from its completely turn based roots.

Ghost Recon 4 – PS3/360/PC

Ubisoft have still not officially announced anything about this. We do know it is in development though thanks to the game appearing on a leaked Ubisoft financial document for the financial year 2009 – 2010. Also we know that Ubisoft have recently trademarked the name Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Other than this there is nothing else known about the game so I would reckon the absolute earliest we would see a release is Q4 2010 and it may even slip till 2011 but fingers crossed as it has always been a quality series.

Resonance of Fate – PS3

Yet another Jap RPG makes our list of games to watch in 2010. This time round it is developed by those other masters of the genre Tri-Ace. Known as End of Eternity in the land of the rising sun this game will be out in Japan for the end of January and across PAL territories sometime around September. Set on Earth in the future, Earths surface and landscape has been chamged by toxi gases. This resulted in the near extinction of humanity, those that remained built a massive air purifier called Basel. This then became the home for Earths remaining human inhabitants and all is well until the machine starts to go wrong. With a mix of real time and turn based combat and the usual stunning graphics for a game of this genre 2010 is looking like being a bit of a cracker for fans of Jap RPG’s.

Aliens vs. Predator – PC/Ps3/360

Things have not gone very well over the last few years for the Alien vs. Predator license with a succesion of poor games and films. But with this game being back in the hands of the series originator Rebellion a return to form is expected. As per the original game it is a FPS that you can either play as the Marine, Alien or the dreadlocked hunting machine that is the Predator. Each combatant lends itself to very different play style with their own varying abilities and different view point of the game world. The online multiplayer also looks like it could be pretty special with teams of all 3 very different combatants facing off against each other. Previews of the game have so far been very mixed. But regardless of these I still think this will be one to watch come its release the 19th January.

Aliens: Colonial Marines – PS3/360/PC

News on this Gearbox developed title has been scarce since its announcement close to 2 years ago now. So scarce in fact rumours had begun that the game had been cancelled. Thankfully Gearbox’s own Randy Pitchford has refuted these claims by stating the game was still very much in development and on course for a 2010 release care of Sega. Not much is known other than that it is a squad based FPS and screenshots that have been seen are absolutely gorgeous. Whether this will make a 2010 release is debatable but it’s very existence has me excited as with anything Alien flavoured.

Max Payne 3 – PS3/360/PC

Again little has been seen or heard about this game but we do know it is slated for release in 2010. Being developed by the ever secretive Rockstar and not Remedy this time round what we do know is that it is set a good few years after the second game in the series. We know this because screens have a shown a much older wearier Max who looks even more terribly down on his luck than he did in the first 2 games. The game is now set in Sao Paolo, Brasil where Max has been working in the private security sector. Expect plenty of 2 handed pyrotechnic bullet time gunplay come its release Q4 2010.

Mafia II – PS3/360/PC

Sequel time again but at least it is an unexpected one and something that I am very much looking forward to. The first Mafia inspired sandbox game was sadly overlooked by many especially on the home consoles but this sequel is definitely tryin to get noticed this time round. Developed by the same team now called 2KCzech (previously known as Illusion Softworks). The game is set in Empire City in the 1950’s and is a open ended sandbox game much like the GTA series but with a more cohesive story. The game’s story charts the rise of Vito Scaleta from Mafia lackey to made man. Currently scheduled for release sometime between May and July 2010 this should more than fill the gap till the next GTA is announced.

God Of War 3- PS3

The Greek mythical adventures of Kratos continue with this the 3rd in the home console series. Once again it is a third person action game come beat-em up. All you need to know is that this game features some of the most gruesome and visceral graphics and gameplay yet seen on any machine. I was one of the lucky few that got sent a PSN key to download the demo and I hav have to say it is pretty awesome stuff. Also it would be worthwhile to note that they are releasing a special edition version with all 3 games with the first 2 games getting a special PS3 HD makeover. God Of War 3 is due to be released in March 2010.

Dante’s Inferno – PS3/360/PC

You could actually ditto everything I have said about God Of War 3 for this game other than the setting. The game is loosley based on the first book of Dante’s epic poem “The Divine Comedy”, “Inferno”. Taking it down to its nuts and bolts it has you laying all kinds of smackdown in the 7 circles of hell. The setting has allowed the artists at EA’s Visceral Game Studio to go way over the top on the sick and gruesome stuff. At its heart though this just does look like a GOW 3 clone but a top one all the same.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle – Wii

A follow up to the very successful and rather excellent No More Heroes. You can expect crazy moves, crazier storyline and a dialogue that is just nuts! The game is shaping up to be truly awesome although the rumoured Wii-Motion plus compatibility seems not to have made it. Still, this time they are upping the number of moves and you can play as more than one character so that should add appeal. It is slated for Q1 2010.

Red Steel 2 – Wii

Another Wii exclusive featuring swords although this time there are guns too! Red Steel was a launch title that promised much but ultimately failed to deliver. Red Steel 2 looks to address those issues and seemingly has succeeded. Set in the American Wild West of sorts as the game also has a whole host of Eastern traits, Red Steel 2 looks stunning and if the game play lives up to the wondrous screen shots then this could be a huge hit. Was scheduled for Christmas but slipped till Q1 2010.

MAG – PS3

MAG or Massive Action Game to give it its full title ( no wonder they went with MAG) is a huge online battlefield type experience with up to as many as 256 players online at any one time. This sounds incredible and so far looks to hold up to all its promises. With stunning graphics and intense action MAG looks to be a sure-fire winner! There is even a promise that if you do well you will be able to rise through the ranks and command the armies of one of the 3 PMC’s that make up the games teams. All sounds very intriguing.

Crackdown 2 – PS3/360/PC

The sequel to the superhero version of GTA, Crackdown 2 looks to build on everything the first game did so well. Adding beefed up graphics, multi-player and a more in depth storyline this promises more building vaulting, massive gun-play and huge upgradable vehicles, this is another one that is getting us injecting our super thumbs with mega steroids in anticipation.

Dead Rising 2 – 360/PC

I am really worried about this game but as it is one of my favourite early Xbox 360 titles I am still quietly excited. The reason for my worry is that Capcom have handed over development to a little know Canadian dev named Blue Castle Games. Series creator Keiji Inafune is aparently overseeing it but the worrying trend of Japanese software houses to hand over development to Western devs has yielded no results at all Bionic Commando and Silent Hill; Homecoming were shocking. Still we have got to give it a try and trailers showing the Vegas setting have been promising and the new multiplayer component being rolled into a “Running Man” style fake TV competition looks interesting. Scheduled for a April realease at present here is hoping that original sense of fun and humour is retained into a more cohesive game.

Just Cause 2 – PS3/360/PC

The original Just Cause was one of the first games to show what the then “Next Gen” was all about, HD visuals and huge open game worlds for starters. It was just a shame it was let down by extremely repetetive gameplay, Avalanche Studios have promised more this time round though. Original protagonist Rico Rodriguez returns and the game is now set in south east Asia on the fictional Island of Panau. Once again it is a huge free roaming sandbox game. Trailers have looked very impressive but despite the devs promises of less repetitive gameplay it does look very samey. At present it is down for release in late April.

Last Guardian – PS3

PS3 owners should be getting very excited by this game. Why well it is the first game on the PS3 by much fabled Sony developer “Team ICO” you know those of the fantastic “ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus” fame . All that has been seen is a fantastic trailer featuring a young boy and a huge feathery cat like bird of prey creature as his companion. In short it looked incredible and very much like a spiritual successor to ICO. As I said before this is a game that every PS3 owner should be getting very excited about no release date has been announced but I would expect to see it towards the end of the year.

Metro 2033 – Xbox 360/PC

This Xbox 360 and PC exclusive FPS is based on a cult Eastern European novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky about a nuclear holocaust. Being released by THQ and developed by debut devs 4 A Games this looking very good indeed. After the earth is destroyed by nuclear war the last of humanity in Russia now live underground in Moscow’s Metro Stations barely surviving whilst overhead the earth has been overrun by irradiated mutants. A new mutant threat is threatening to destroy the last of humanity and you as Artem have been given the job of returning to the surface and save humanity. Trailers of the game show a very detailed and large world marking this down as one to be keeping a very close eye on come release time in March.

Brink – PS3/360/PC

Being developed by Splash Damage they who developed Quake Wars: Enemy Territory this FPS promises to freshen things with a bold new direction. With a bright vibrant graphic design and blending drop in co-op of up to 7 players, single player and multiplayer into one involving story arc this is definitely one to keep an eye on in 2010. Set on a floating man-made city called the Arc things have not gone well on Earth leaving the Arc and humanity as they know it on the Brink (you see what they did there HEY!). Big things are expected from this expect a release sometime around late Summer.

Red Dead Redemption – 360/PS3

Being released in March this game is looking the absolute nuts. With Rockstar San Diego at the helm this is looking like the Western game I and many others have been longing for. The trailers have looked incredible and it looks like this is going to deliver in a big way. GTA with western theme I cannot wait.

Split Second – PS3/360/PC

Being developed by Black Rock those of Pure fame and were formerly Climax this racer promises to be a bit different. You race round tracks that have loads of explosives dotted around and its the racers that trigger said explosives. Buildings and various other things will block parts of the course and seriuosly change the route if you survive the building coming down on you first. Basically its a racer with big set pieces that will dramatically change the course of the race and it looks absolutely fantastic. Being released sometime in February this is one for all you Arcade racing nuts to look forward too.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – PS3/360/PC

Whilst not being the critical success that both Dice and EA had wanted it to be the online multiplayer side of things gathered a strong cult following. I still have peeps on my friends list still playing this even after the release of MW2 so its this side of things devs Dice have decided to conentrate on. There will still be a strong single player filled with the potty mouthed knuckle heads of B-Company but multiplayer is definitely where its going to be. Basically in a nut shell it will be more of everything that made multiplayer in the first game so great plus some stuff borrowed from other games (MW2) such as perks. EA and Dice have stated their intent is to be the number one played console game online this year with this title so expect it to be bloody good.

Gran Turismo 5 – PS3

Finally about to get off the starting grid, GT5 has much to live up to. Hopefully it will be vastly better than the rather lacklustre demo/time trial that has just appeared on PSN. Rumours are abound that Polyphony Digital cant decide whether to include the car damage model or the weather effects model they have been banging on about, which seems like an odd thing for them to say but oh well. Gran Tourismo used to be the benchmark by which all racing games were tested against, now however it has a huge amount of quality racers including the excellent Forza Motorsport 3 battling it for pole position. Time will tell if it can reclaim the podium.

Gears of War 3 – 360

Okay so it is not yet announced as a 2010 release but we at G4A predicted the release of GOW2 before anyone else did so we are confident in our prediction again, and let’s face it if we are wrong we will just deny we ever wrote this! Expect the ‘final’ game in the trilogy to be more of the same and taking the ‘bigger, badder, better’ (or as “Cliffy Bellend” would say more Badass) premise to a whole new level!

So there you have it 2010 in a nutshell! What is abundantly clear is that 2010 will see lots on evolution rather than invention but then the games that are receiving sequels are ones we all have cried out for. There are always a few nice unannounced releases along the way as well so hopefully some originality will leap forth and surprise us all!